Survivors of 1935 hurricane recall terrible night By Cammy Clark ~the hurricane began as a weak tropical system east of the Bahamas ~it built intensity as it headed over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream ~weather forecasters predicted it would turn south to Cuba ~by the time people were told the hurricane was coming, it was too late for them to evacuate from the remote islands off the coast ~at that time 300 people lived on the four islands and an unknown number of visitors were there for Labor Day weekend ~there were hundreds of WWI veterans in the path of the hurricane due to working on the Overseas Highway ~a 10-car evacuation train was sent for the veterans but it was delayed and ended up arriving at the same time as the hurricane (about 8 pm) ~every part of the train except the engine was washed off the track ~the hurricane lasted hours and was rated a Category 5 ~nearly 500 people died, about half the veterans and just as many residents/visitors Charlie Roberts (age 7)… ~ remembered the roof blowing off their house ~then his father picked him up by their overall straps ~he dragged/carried them to their Ford ~11 people packed into the car ~he saw things flying through the air and water flooded up to their waists in the car ~he could hear the veterans nearby who were drowned when the water came up but there was nothing they could do to help them Norman Parker (4)… ~remembers his family cramming into his sister’s newly built cottage ~when the water came in the cottage became a raft ~his father put all 10 of the kids on a bed and told them to hold on Joe (5) and Alma (11) Pinder… ~taken to uncle’s house to ride out the storm ~the house exploded and all 14 people were thrown into the flooding waters ~Joe’s dad put him on a mattress that floated by and he stayed there for the rest of the storm ~Alma’s uncle put her on a floating piece of debris which saved her life ~the storm came at night so everything was pitch black After the storm… ~when the storm was over it took days for help to arrive ~they had to get clothes to wear because everything was gone ~they had to search for food to eat ~people who were injured had to find a way to get to an ambulance so they could get to a hospital which took days
Survivors of 1935 hurricane recall terrible night
By Cammy Clark
~the hurricane began as a weak tropical system east of the Bahamas
~it built intensity as it headed over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream
~weather forecasters predicted it would turn south to Cuba
~by the time people were told the hurricane was coming, it was too late for them to evacuate from the remote islands off the coast
~at that time 300 people lived on the four islands and an unknown number of visitors were there for Labor Day weekend
~there were hundreds of WWI veterans in the path of the hurricane due to working on the Overseas Highway
~a 10-car evacuation train was sent for the veterans but it was delayed and ended up arriving at the same time as the hurricane (about 8 pm)
~every part of the train except the engine was washed off the track
~the hurricane lasted hours and was rated a Category 5
~nearly 500 people died, about half the veterans and just as many residents/visitors
Charlie Roberts (age 7)…
~ remembered the roof blowing off their house
~then his father picked him up by their overall straps
~he dragged/carried them to their Ford
~11 people packed into the car
~he saw things flying through the air and water flooded up to their waists in the car
~he could hear the veterans nearby who were drowned when the water came up but there was nothing they could do to help them
Norman Parker (4)…
~remembers his family cramming into his sister’s newly built cottage
~when the water came in the cottage became a raft
~his father put all 10 of the kids on a bed and told them to hold on
Joe (5) and Alma (11) Pinder…
~taken to uncle’s house to ride out the storm
~the house exploded and all 14 people were thrown into the flooding waters
~Joe’s dad put him on a mattress that floated by and he stayed there for the rest of the storm
~Alma’s uncle put her on a floating piece of debris which saved her life
~the storm came at night so everything was pitch black
After the storm…
~when the storm was over it took days for help to arrive
~they had to get clothes to wear because everything was gone
~they had to search for food to eat
~people who were injured had to find a way to get to an ambulance so they could get to a hospital which took days